Hinge for cover lid on chests

ABSTRACT

A simple, non-adjustable, inexpensive outside hinge for the cover lid of a freezer cabinet or the like has a spring housing which is secured to the outside of a wall of a cabinet. A mounting bracket, which is secured to a side of the cover lid for the cabinet, is pivoted to the spring housing by a pivot pin. On a portion of the mounting bracket radially offset from the pivot pin is a spring follower pin. A spring follower or spring guide member has a bearing portion urged against the spring follower pin by a coiled compression spring reacting between an abutment in the spring housing and a shoulder on the spring guide member. As the mounting bracket is swung from closed to open position, the spring follower pin will travel in an arc about the pivot pin to compress the compression spring with variable moments of force until a dead-center position is reached and thereafter to allow the compression spring to expand under its own force with resulting variable moments of force. This construction allows the use of a single size spring housing and mounting bracket to be used with a number of different sized springs for different sized lids. The compression spring has no tensioning adjustment means and the moment of force executed by the spring on the mounting bracket is minimal from the closed position to the dead-center position. Hence, the cover lid can be easily opened by a child or small person accidentally caught inside the cabinet with the cover lid closed. Thus the hinge is inexpensive to manufacutre and is also safer than the hinge now in use.

United States Patent [1 1 Schnuell 1 Feb. 25, 1975 HINGE FOR COVER LID0N CHESTS [75] Inventor: Henry A. Schnuell, Milwaukee, Wis.

[73] Assignee: E. R. Wagner Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

[22] Filed: June 3, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 475,454

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 356,736, May3, 1973,

Primary Examiner-Richard J. Scanlan, Jr. Attorney, Agent, orFirm-Michael, Best & Friedrich [57] ABSTRACT A simple, non-adjustable,inexpensive outside hinge for the cover lid of a freezer cabinet or thelike has a spring housing which is secured to the outside ofa wall of acabinet. A mounting bracket, which is secured to a side of the cover lidfor the cabinet, is pivoted to the spring housing by a pivot pin. On aportion of the mounting bracket radially offset from the pivot pin is aspring follower pin. A spring follower or spring guide member has abearing portion urged against the spring follower pin by a coiledcompression spring reacting between an abutment in the spring housingand a shoulder on the spring guide member. As the mounting bracket isswung from closed to open position, the spring follower pin will travelin an are about the pivot pin to compress the compression spring withvariable moments of force until a dead-center position is reached andthereafter to allow the compression spring to expand under its own forcewith resulting variable moments of force. This construction allows theuse of a single size spring housing and mounting bracket to be used witha number of different sized springs for different sized lids. Thecompression spring has no tensioning adjustment means and the moment offorce executed by the spring on the mounting bracket is minimal from theclosed position to the dead-center position. Hence, the cover lid can beeasily opened by a child or small person accidentally caught inside thecabinet with the cover lid closed. Thus the hinge is inexpensive tomanufacutre and is also safer than the hinge now in use.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures HINGE FOR COVER LID ON CIIESTS This is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 356,736, filed May 3, 1973 and nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to an inexpensive, nonadjustable, safe, outside hinge for thecover lid of freezer cabinets or the like.

2: Description of the Prior Art The following U.S. patents areconsidered as pertinent to the field of this invention:

None of these patents teaches a non-adjustable compression spring whichacts directly through a spring follower or spring guide member on aspring follower pin carried by the mounting bracket and positioned belowthe pivot pin between the mounting bracket and the spring housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT The hinge disclosed in the drawing has a spring housing 10having laterally extending flanges 12 by which the housing is secured toan outside wall of a freezer cabinet or the like (not shown). A mountingbracket 14 has laterally extending flanges 16 by which the bracket issecured to an outside edge of a lid (not shown) for such cabinet. Thebracket 14 is pivoted to the housing 10 bya pivot pin 18 as shown. Thebracket 14 has a spring follower pin 20. The pin 20 is radially offsetfrom the pivot 18 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the closed position ofFIG. 2 the pin 20 is only slightly offset from the top of a horizontalplane passing through the axis of the pivot pin 18 while in the openposition of FIG. I, the pin 20 is a large distance from the bottom ofthe horizontal plane passing through such axis. The effect of this isthat the moment of force tending to keep the lid closed is relativelysmall as compared with the moment of force tending to keep the lid open.Furthermore, as the lid is moved from closed to open position, thespring follower pin 20 will travel in an are which will include adead-center position.

A U-shaped spring guide member has an enlarged base 22 provided with abearing portion 24 which, as shown in FIG. 3 extends for substantiallythe entire length of and seats on and swings with the follower pin 20about pivot pin 18. The bearing portion 24 and the pin 20 form anenlarged bearing surface which eliminates the narrow bearing surfaceformed by the raw edges on the punched holes of the prior art engagingthe pivot pin of such art with a sawing effect. The

spring guide member has spaced elongated legs 26 provided as shown inFIGS. 1, 2 and 4 with longitudinally extending rounded surface beadswhich have a sliding engagement with a guide pin or abutment 28. Suchextending beads form a curved non-saw edge slidably contacting the guidepin 28 eliminating the raw edge sawing contact between the slot andtoggle of the prior art. These legs form an internal guide for a coiledcompression spring 30 which reacts between the guide pin 28 andshoulders 32 formed between the enlarged base 22 and the legs 26 toforcibly urge the bearing portion 24 into engagement with follower pin20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the four spaced edges of the legs 26 formfour spaced elongated line contacts with the spring 3 to prevent suchspring from unnecessary buckling with consequent loss of force, thusmaking it practical to employ a compression type spring which meetssafety requirements. Thus as the bracket 14 is swung from the lid closedposition of FIG. 2, the coiled compression spring 30 will be compresseduntil the spring follower pin moves through the dead-center position.Thereafter the coiled compression spring, expanding under its owninherent force, will apply an increasing moment of force to the bracket14 as it approaches the fully open position of FIG. 1. This openposition is limited by tab 34 on the housing 10 which abuts againstprojecting edges 36 on the bracket (see FIG. 1).

- The essential features of this invention are:

1. the safety feature of no spring tension adjustment;

2. the light force to maintain the closed position;

3. the adaptability of one size spring housing and mounting bracket tobe used with a number of different sized springs for different sizedlids; and

4. fewer components needed to produce a similar action as in previoushinges.

I claim:

l. A hinge for the cover of a freezer cabinet or the like comprising:

a. a spring housing secured to said freezer cabinet;

b. a lid for said cabinet;

c. a mounting bracket secured to said lid;

d. a pivot pin interconnecting said spring housing and said mountingbracket;

e. said mounting bracket having a spring follower pin radially offsetfrom said pivot pin;

f. a spring engaging pin on said spring housing remote from said pivotpin;

g. a coiled compression spring in said spring housing reacting betweensaid spring follower pin and said spring engaging pin; and

h. a U-shaped spring guide member having l an enlarged bearing portion,and (2) spaced elongated legs located partly within said compressionspring, said bearing portion extending for the length of said springfollower pin and rotatably seated on and swinging with said springfollower pin; said coiled compression spring reacting between saidspring follower pin and said enlarged bearing portion.

2. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein: said spaced elongated legs areprovided with longitudinal extending beads forming curved surfaces whichslidably contact said spring engaging pin.

3. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein: said spaced elongated legshave four spaced edges forming line contacts with said coiledcompression spring to resist buckling of said spring during compressionthereof.

4. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein any means for adjusting theeffective force of said compression spring is absent.

1. A hinge for the cover of a freezer cabinet or the like comprising: a. a spring housing secured to said freezer cabinet; b. a lid for said cabinet; c. a mounting bracket secured to said lid; d. a pivot pin interconnecting said spring housing and said mounting bracket; e. said mounting bracket having a spring follower pin radially offset from said pivot pin; f. a spring engaging pin on said spring housing remote from said pivot pin; g. a coiled compression spring in said spring housing reacting between said spring follower pin and said spring engaging pin; and h. a U-shaped spring guide member having (1) an enlarged bearing portion, and (2) spaced elongated legs located partly within said compression spring, said bearing portion extending for the length of said spring follower pin and rotatably seated on and swinging with said spring follower pin; said coiled compression spring reacting between said spring follower pin and said enlarged bearing portion.
 2. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein: said spaced elongated legs are provided with longitudinal extending beads forming curved surfaces which slidably contact said spring engaging pin.
 3. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein: said spaced elongated legs have four spaced edges forming line contacts with said coiled compression spring to resist buckling of said spring during compression thereof.
 4. A hinge as defined in claim 1 wherein any means for adjusting the effective force of said compression spring is absent. 